Cartridge orientating hopper



Patented Nov. 16, 1948 CARTRIDGE ORIENTATING HGPBER J ehn H. Woodberry and Frederick Hoewischer, Metukchem N. il.

Original applicationfJuly 24, 194,2, 'Serial No. 452,174. Divided and this application May 26, 19.45, Serial N0. 596,072

4 claims. (01.12.0977@ (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April .'30, 1928; 370 0.1;. 7-5?) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for theA Government Afor governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to means `for ordering articles of special shape and particularly, in the present embodiment, to means for ordering cartridges or rounds for-ming the ammunition -for ordnance, and is here applied to the ordering of small caliber rounds such as are used in .30 caliber automatic rearrns or .50 caliber automatic Weapons. This application is a division of our application Serial Number 452,174, iiled July 2li, 1942, now Patent No. 2,433,010 dated December 23, 1947, for Cartridge handling and belt lling machine, and that application Will be termed the parent case.

It is an object of this invention .to present an apparatus adapted to effect the ordering of such articles as mentioned at `the same time that they are 4fed from`a hopper to a chute by which they may be delivered to a mechanism in which they are operated on furtherI as, for instance, in yload.- ing cartridgebelts; one form of such loading device being shown in the parent case. It is a special aim to attain `this .ordering of .the articles in a rotary drum by reason of a novel con, struction of the drum, so that no special'additional loperating .devices are required for :this pure pose. It isa specific purpose to take .advantage of `a peculiar form in such articles in relation to their center of gravity so .that an ,extremely sim.- ple expedient may be employed to ,causethem `to become ordered in the mere `functioning of a slotted drum. The foregoing objects aim gener.- ally at enabling `the embodiment of a machine for the purpose described which :will be rugged, extremely low in cost, simple in its operation, and economically maintained. i Y

Additional objects, advantages, and features of the invention Vreside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in `the embodiment of the invention and Willbe apparu ent or understood from theA following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ordering de- `vice embodying the invent-ion;

Figure 2 is a top View thereof; 1

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line` 3--3 of Fig. l;

Figure .4 is a cross section of the rdrum and operating means enlarged, on the line 4-4 of Fig.2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated 4a frame-Work .Ill supporting tix a table plate H and having riveted on one .side thereof a vertically ,swingaole pulley `frame I? g-, tending under the table plate. A hollow cylindrical drum l5 is mounted to rotate on ahorizontal axis oyer the table plat-e, this having a mgltiplicity 0f @lenga-ted rectangular Aslots i fglied therein, the major dimensions of these slots 'being aligned with planes normal to the anis of the drum. in the `present instance the slots are ar.- ranged in circumferentially aligned series, the series being spaced longitudinally in the drum, the slots of one series being staggered with the slots of the next adjacent series.` VIt should-be noted that these slot-s have a -Width equal to the major diameter of a cartridge case, the llongitudinal sides 4of the slots being planiform and parallel. Also, the thickness of the circumferential wall of the Id-ru-m is related -to the diameter of the cartridge ease, and should be at least greater than one-half the maximum diameter of the case, and in practice has ibeen Ymade equal to or more than three-fourths-ofthe major diameter of `the case. IThe ends of `the slots are also Aplaniaform,1b.utare inclined with respect to an ir-iter` seating radius `oi the drum `at an angle of approximately 30lin the presentinstance, although this may be varied as Will be appreciated Withoutmaterial'ly affecting the function of the device. This inclination is in a .direction from the interior of the drum outward .opposite `the .direc-y tion .of lrotation of the drum as indicated 'by `the arrow t5 in Fig. l. This inclination is most important fat -the trailing `end .|15 .of the slot, although the advanced lend l-i is shown with an approximately similar inclination. 11n this :way an iacute .angle `at the .trailing edge t8 is for-med between the inner -face ofthe drumwall .and the end face :i6 .of the slot, and .it .is important that t-he dimension of the slot from the trailing in-ner edge .i8 -to .the .outer advanced edge |9 .shall =be somewhat .greater than the length .of the round, including .the cartridge case 21.0 and the linserted bullet '2L IFlach circumferential series Vof slots is spaced from .the `next series a dist-ance .which in the present instance is .somewhat greater than lthe diameter of :the-cartridge, although this measurement is not critical. The inner face of lthe drum is rforrned with iraised'ribs 22,.forming channels .there'between around the drum, the width of these channels `:being :somewhat .greater :than the width of the slots i4 rabut preferably the ,space between each rib and adjacent slots .should lbe less than half the .diameter of the cartridge. i adapt =the invention to :simultaneously .order .dif-

ferent kinds of ammunition in rounds having similar shape, an annular partition 23 may be incorporated as required to separate the interior of the drum into compartments into which respective kinds of ammunition may be introduced to be simultaneously' ordered and delivered as will be explained.

A wider spacing Ibetween adjacent circumferential series of the slots is eifected as at 2li in two zones, a distance from respective ends of the drum, for a purpose which will appear, and in the present instance a partition 23 is shown intermediately of one of these zones. Atfeach end of the drum an annular retaining wall 25 is provided thereon, affording an opening 26 at each end through which articles to be ordered may be introduced to the drum. Preferably, the space between any two partitions and between a partition and an end wall 25 should be greater than the length of one of the rounds to be ordered, to permit their ready movement to aligned positions by rotation on an axis radial to the drum and normalA to the longitudinal axes of the respective rounds.

The drum is supported upon two rollers 26' arranged longitudinally under respective sides of the drum and carried on brackets 2'I mounted on the table plate II, and the drum is held against longitudinal displacement from operative position by means of side rollers 28 mounted on stud brackets 29 set on the plate I I at the bottom side of the roller.

Interposed between the rollers 2B and the drum there is a central wide endless apron 30 and two narrow endless aprons 3I adjacent respective ends of the drum, these aprons being spaced apart at the zones 24. These aprons are held to the drum by the rollers 26 and additionally by longitudinal rollers 32 supported upon high brackets 33 on the plate I I at the front and rear of the drum, so that the aprons close all of the slots at the under side of the drum nearly to the height of the axis of the drum. Additional idler rollers 33 are mounted between the brackets 33 immediately over the plate II so as to hold the lower reaches of the aprons taut and clear of the rollers 26.

The drum is operated from a motor 35 having a stationary mounting on the frame I0, through the agency of a reduction pulley system and counter shaft 36 mounted on the swinging platform I2. From small pulleys 31 on this shaft belts 38 are extended around the drum in the spaces between the aprons 30 and 3I. The rate of movement of the drum is preferably moderate, a speed of approximately eight turns per minute having been found satisfactory in a drum of approximately inches in diameter for .30 caliber ammunition. At the front side of the drum inclined rectilinear chutes 39 are mounted fixedly having their upper ends closely adjacent the periphery of the drum, and aligned with respective circumferential series of slots I4, these chutes being inclined sufficiently to cause cartridges de.. livered thereto to slide at proper speed downwardly to a point of delivery, not shown. At respective sides of each chute there are erected upwardly divergent guide plates 4U, extending from closely adjacent the drum longitudinally of the chute a distance to guide cartridges falling from the drum so that they will become positioned longitudinally in the chute. The plates 40 between mutually adjacent chutes meet at their upper edges next to the drum so as to afford ample space over the chutes to permit free falling movement of the cartridges from the drum and to guide them as indicated.

From a location exteriorly of the drum at the right side, a stationary inclined chute device II is extended into the drum, this being in the form of a semi-circular trough having a vertical medial wall 42 erected ltherein extending to the lower end of the chute, which stops intermediately of the space between the end wall and the partition 23 at the left side of the drum. One side of the trough is cut away from its lower extremity to a point just within the right hand end wall 25 of the drum. This permits different kinds of ammunition to move along respective sides of the trough to respective portions of the drum. Mounted on this trough within the drum and extending from end to end of the latter, there is a planiform plate 43, nearly diametrically arranged in the drum and inclined from a line close to the front side of the drum and a distance above the adjacent ends of the chutes 39 somewhat more than the length of a cartridge, to a low line at the rear portion of the drum, the inclination of this plate being sucient to cause cartridges which fall thereon at the upper part to slide to the lower edge, the latter being spaced sufficiently from the wall of the drum to permit such cartridges to then fall into the lower part of the drum.

In the operation of this machine, cartridges being introduced as indicated, in the rotation of the drum the lowermost cartridges and those on the ascending side of the drum become aligned with the spaces between the ribs 22, and may slide relatively downwardly a distance on the ascending inner surfaces of the drum between the ribs until they drop into respective slots I4 where they become supported upon the apron thereunder and are then carried upwardly to a level slightly above the upper end of the chutes 39. In the case of cartridges which are raised with their bullets extended upwardly, the flat faces of the cartridge heads will be resting upon the inner edges I8 at the trailing ends of the slots, and as the bullets are tapered upwardly, their upper ends will lie close against the apron with the axes of the cartridges inclined outwardly in the direction of advance. Thus, the point of support at the inner edge I8 being inwardly of this axis still further, when a cartridge rises to and above the level of the adjacent chute end, its center of gravity will be a material distance outwardly of a vertical line at the trailing edge I8 on which it is supported, and it will tend to fall outwardly. The upper end of the chute 39 is spaced above the adjacent portion of the apron 3l] or SI as the case may be, somewhat less than the sum of the lengths of the bullet and neck of the cartridge case. The center of gravity of the round is below the shoulder of the cartridge case, and the cartridge is supported by the apron until after the bullet has cleared and passed above the end of the chute. The cartridge therefore does not fall outwardly until it projects well above the chute, and in so falling it pivots on the edge I8 so that the nose of the cartridge falls toward the end of the chute. Soon after, the outer side edge of the head of the cartridge engages the surface I8 and pivots thereon still further until the nose of thel cartridge is near or in the chute 39, the continued movement of the drum, and gravity acting upon the cartridge, causing it finally to drop clear of the drum into a position at upon the bottom of the trough, here it slides rapidly downward with its nose or bullet pointed in the direction of its movement, which is the desired' face I8 of the slot close to the apron as the cartridge is carried upwardly bythe drum. The base of the cartridge in such case will rest against the apron adjacent the advancing end face l1 and also the shoulder of the cartridge case, as before stated. The rollers 32 are close to a horizontal diametrical plane of the drum, and movement of the drum and apron tend to bring the axis of the inverted kcartridge to an approximately vertical position just before the shoulder of the cartridge reaches the line at which the apron passes out-VV wardly around the roller 32. The slow movement of the drum precludes the possibility of material centrifugal force acting upon the cartridge as the shoulder clears the apron and the end of the chute will support the side of the cartridge case until but not higher than a horizontal radius of the cylinder, and a cartridge-base-supporting edge element at the trailing end of each slot spaced from said cartridge conning means more than onehalf the diameterof the base of the cartridge,

Y each said slot including a support surface at its the shoulder of the case passes thereabove. About,

or before, this time, the weight of the round will cause its nose to slip outward on the face i8, tilting the round inward somewhat. The cartridge will at this time be so inclined inwardly that, as it is lifted above the chute, the base end of the cartridge will be above the upper edge of the plate 43, and it will fall inwardly toward and upon this plate, with its base downwardly,so that it will slide in this position upon the plate to and' beyond the lower edge ofthe plate, where it will fall among cartridges in the bottom ofthe drum to be ordered and delivered again.

While we have shown our invention in the best construction known at the time of our parent application, it will nevertheless be understood that changes in construction and arrangement of parts, substitutions and other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the .invention as embodied in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An ordering means forcartridges compris` trailing end inclining outwardly of said support-k ing edge element and opposite the direction `of motion of said cylinder.

2. In an ordering machine for cartridges, a cylindrical hollow drum mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, means to rotate the drum, the perimetral wall of the drum having a multiplicity of elongated slots therethrough aligned with planes normal to the axis of rotation of the drum each slot having a length at least equal to the length of the individual cartridges to be ordered and of a width at least equal to the diameter of the cartridge, the material of the wall of the drum having a thickness at the trailing ends of the slots equal to more than one-half the diameter of a cartridge and each slot having a planiform trailing end surface therein extending from the inner surface of the drum and inclined therefrom opposite the direction of rotation of the drum, and means to close the slots in the lower part of the drum at the outer sides of said slots to a level closely adjacent but not higher than a horizontal diameter of the drum.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which a planiform diametrical plate is arranged within the drum having an edge near the rising side of the drum and said diameter and inclined downwardly therefrom toward the opposite side of the drum, stopping short of the latter a distance to permit cartridges to fall therefrom into the lower part of the drum.

4. The structure of claim 2 in which the interior of the drum` is provided with a plurality of inwardly projecting spaced circumferential ribs between the said slots, whereby said interior surface is divided into a plurality of spaced channels within which the said slots are located.

JOHN H. WOODBERRY. FREDERICK W. HOEWISCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number v Name Date 142,119 Rich Aug..26, 1873 1,808,806 Cooper June 9, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 460,901 France Oct. 16, 1913 17,630 Great Britain July 31, 1913 

